MVN - Most Valuable Network

Joey Chestnut wins in overtime at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

Richard Ginn blogs about NASCAR for MVN at The Pit Stop.

In the annual Fourth of July event at the corner of Surf and Stillwell as 21 gurgitators are going for the Yellow Mustard belt at the 2008 Nathan‘s Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Takeru Kobayashi, from Japan, who lost last year after winning six straight is back again to retake the Yellow Mustard belt. Joey “Jaws” Chestnut who the set the record last year of 66 hot dogs and buns in twelve minutes is back to prove his win from last year is no fluke.

A couple of female gurgitators, “The lovely” Juliet Lee and Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas are back to try to win the belt. Sonya holds the female record of 38.5 hot dogs and buns set in 2007.

The rules for this event have changed this year. Last year the event was 12 minutes long and starting this year the event is only going to be 10 minutes. Some old documents found in around 1917-1918 were found showcasing that the event was only 10 minutes long so the people behind the event changed it.

Any contestant that winds up regurgitating his or her food is disqualified from the competition.

The competition got to fast start with Joey Chestnut eating 10 hot dogs and buns in one minute with Kobayashi at 8. It stayed around a 2 dog lead until the sixth minute when it became a 40-40 tie.

Then Kobayashi stated to take a small lead and taking around a two-dog lead with one minute to go. With 30 seconds left the lead was down to one and at the buzzer with both mouths completely full it came down to a judge’s decision.

The judge decided it was a 59-59 hot dog and bun tie which caused a rare 5 hot dog and bun “dog-off” overtime period. The overtime period did not last long at all though. Joey Chestnut was able to keep a slight lead over Kobayashi and take the Mustard Yellow belt for a second time in a row.

“I was not quick enough,” said Kobayashi on the overtime period. When asked if he would do it again he said “of course.”

“I love to eat,” said Joey Chestnut on why he does it. “I love the competition.”

Video Picks: Unfortunate Baseball Injury, Joe Buck, Canadian Soccer Fans

Baseball players just can’t catch a break; everyday, it seems as if we have another tough-to-watch injury occurring in the Majors. We talked about Arizona Diamondback catcher Chris Snyder’s fractured testicle (!) on Wednesday, and today, we have Michael Barrett of the Padres fouling a ball off his face (thanks to The Fightins’ for the video):

Uh…that announcer was wrong. Barrett left the game and spent the night in a Denver hospital with a fractured nose. Perhaps the commentator underestimated the fact that fouling a 90+ mph fastball off your face really freaking hurts.

Normally, posting a video of Skip Bayless is something I’d never consider. And normally, posting a video of Skip Bayless talking about an interview on Colin Cowherd’s radio show is something I’d never, ever consider. But these are special circumstances; Bayless was discussing Joe Buck’s now-infamous interview with Cowherd, and he actually had a pretty good take on it (thanks to Awful Announcing for the video):

Can’t say I disagree with Bayless — it doesn’t make sense for Bud Selig to be satisfied with Buck continuing to announce MLB’s featured game of the week, given the announcer’s total lack of enthusiasm towards the sport. Get someone in the booth with a little passion for the game.

Finally, this last video shows a situation that is truly unique to the MLS; you wouldn’t see something like this happen in the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, etc., etc. Indeed, the fans of Toronto FC made a corner kick quite difficult for a New England Revolution player by showering him with a crapload of streamers:

Gotta love it. The hooliganism of Canadian soccer fans doesn’t match that of the Europeans, but still, that was pretty dang funny.

Seattle teamless, SuperSonic fans abandoned by Stern and the NBA

Oklahoma - Oklahoma - Oklahoma!?! Are you kidding me, the Sonics are really moving from Seattle to Oklahoma? Another professional sports team’s hometown fans who love and support their team are abandoned by a league that does not respect their loyalty. The NBA Board of Goons…I mean Governors approved Clay Bennett and the Sonics’ move to Oklahoma City. In return for not holding Bennett to the current lease, the City of Seattle will receive $45 million, the SuperSonic name, colors, and history. How could the greedy Bennett take history with him to Oklahoma City anyway? The fact that this happened to Sonics fans should not come as a surprise; for more than ten years Clay Bennett has wanted to move to the team to Oklahoma City. After watching how Seattle has been treated by Bennett and the NBA, I hope Oklahoma City’s voters are prepared to be treated the same way.

What really galls me about how this situation went down was Bennett’s demand for the tax payers to pony up millions of dollars for a new arena. Key Arena, was just renovated by the same Seattle tax payers in 1995 at a cost of $75 million. This is a perfect example of an owner claiming “need” for a stadium, when that “need” is really a “want”; good luck Oklahoma City with greedy Bennett. Bennett is not the only guilty party in this sad story.

Howard Starbucks Shultz sold the SuperSonics and placed Seattle’s team in the hands of Bennett, who openly desired to move the team to Oklahoma. Shultz’s sale of the team is an example of poor stewardship; if Mr.Starbuck really cared for Seattle and respected the history of the SuperSonics, he would have taken better care of the team and waited for a buyer who would keep the Sonics in Seattle. It is a good thing Seattle folks are not huge Starbucks coffee drinkers; if I lived in that town today I would find a new and better brand of java. I remember watching great SuperSonics teams led by likes of Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton; for me the Sonics were synonymous with the NBA playoffs and Seattle. Payton and Kemp describe the Sonics’ players close connection with their fans on the Best Damn Sports Show below:

Shame on you David Stern for not looking out for your fans and keeping the Sonics in Seattle.

Video Picks: Rays Nation, Painful Baseball Injuries, Joe Buck, Baron Davis

There’s a new sheriff in town in the AL East. I tell ya, Tampa Bay fans are getting a wee bit cocky about their squad’s lead over Boston in the division; as you’ll see, someone called “The Cowbell Kid” declared Red Sox Nation to be dead at a recent Rays game:

This is all a little difficult to comprehend: The Rays have…fans? Tropicana Field is…packed? People in Tampa are feeling…excited about the Rays? Tampa is…leading the AL East race?

In other baseball news, FanIQ points us to one of the most horrific injuries I’ve ever seen during a MLB game. Take a look at this video of the unfortunate soul that is Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Chris Snyder:

Gah! Well, on Tuesday the Diamondbacks placed Snyder on the DL with a “left testicular fracture,” and the catcher is slated to undergo surgery today. If there’s a worse injury than “fractured testicle,” I’d like to hear it.

Elsewhere, Awful Announcing is a little ticked over an interview Joe Buck did with ESPN Radio’s Colin Cowherd (who we interviewed a little while back); here’s the clip from the interview that’s inspired quite a bit of discussion around the blogosphere today:

To summarize: Joe Buck, FOX’s top football and baseball announcer, frequent voice of the Super Bowl and World Series, spends “barely any” time watching sports. I understand his complaints about the pacing of baseball, the time commitment, etc. — but dude, you’re arguably the biggest play-by-play guy in the business. You can’t be bothered to watch a game every now and then?

Finally, when Clippers fans are writing songs for Baron Davis, you know basketball fans in Los Angeles are getting excited about Boom Dizzle’s impending arrival to the Staples Center:

“Dred Scott In Spikes*”

*”Dred Scott In Spikes” was originally the title of an article on Curt Flood by George F. Will. You can find the article in his book Bunts: Curt Flood, Camden Yards, and Pete Rose and other Reflections on baseball. Scribner. New York.

The Washington Nationals opened their new stadium this season and all around the stadium are huge support poles adorned with beautiful paintings of Hall of Fame players. As I walked by these great works I began thinking of the strides that baseball and society had made because of me like Jackie Robinson other members of the Hall. I feel the current players belong there but there is a player who deserves a spot right next to Jackie Robinson and that player is Curt Flood.

Curt Flood: Two-thirds of the Earth is covered by water and the rest was covered by Curt. (1)

Curt Flood, one of baseball’s great center fielders, a Gold Glove winner played fifteen seasons in the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals. He made the most out of hitting with his quickness and speed, Flood compiled a .293 lifetime batting average. But stats are not why Flood should be in the Hall of Fame. He should be in the Hall because of his commitment to justice, his fight to change the reserve clause in Major League Baseball, and the sacrifice he made so players could negotiate for fair pay and the freedom to choose where they wanted to play.

Flood came up through the minor leagues in the segregated South in the 1950s. He, like other great African American athletes, had to suffer the indignities of being treated as a second class citizen simply because of the color of skin. These experiences of not being able to share the same restaurants or restrooms that his white teammates, would inspire him to march for change with Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders. But his fight to end segregation is not why Flood deserves to have his likeness embedded in bronze and hung in Cooperstown.

The Cardinal’s center fielder fought the idea that a baseball owner’s legal right to trade him wherever and whenever he wanted. As George F. Will explains, “He rose in rebellion against the reserve clause that denied baseball players the fundamental right to negotiate terms of employment with whomever they choose.” (2) Curt Flood sued baseball in 1970 with the help of the head of the Player’s Association, Marvin Miller, and, represented by Arthur Goldberg - a former Supreme Court Justice, Flood stood up against an unjust system and he described himself as a “well paid slave” in his letter to Commissioner Bowie Kuhn explaining why he was suing baseball.

Flood lost his case but initiated the downfall of the reserve clause. He provided the impetus for players and the Players Association to reflect on their treatment and the role of the owners. Which energized the players to start questioning the relationship and after an arbitration case in 1975, the relationship between owners and players was changed forever as the reserve clause was struck down.

In 1994 at Flood’s funeral. Rev. Jesse Jackson provided a eulogy. Jackson stated that Flood should be in the Hall of Fame. Sportswriters and others have advocated that Flood enter the Hall “based on his status as one of the game’s pioneers.” Neither Flood nor Marvin Miller, the two men responsible for the incredible financial benefits and freedoms that today’s players enjoy, have been elected to the Hall.

What is and what should be the qualification for getting into the Baseball Hall of Fame? I profer that it’s not just numbers, it also should include the impact of the individual’s actions on the game. Under those criteria, Flood definitely should be in Cooperstown. He not only began the fight for rights for baseball players that at the time were common legal rights for workers in the United States, but sacrificed salary and future opportunity in MLB because he knew what he did was just and fair. His actions had an incredible negative effect on him for the rest of his life. As a result of his court case, he was never signed by another team when he still had many playing years left. His frustration turned inward as he initiated multiple self-destructive behaviors including drinking. MLB Player’s Association and its members should not forget that the benefits they so richly enjoy today. Curt Flood’s picture in Nationals Park by Jackie Robinson would be a beautiful sight indeed.

1 George F. Will. Bunts: Curt Flood, Camden Yards, and Pete Rose and other Reflections on baseball. Scribner. New York. page 279.

2 George F. Will. Bunts: Curt Flood, Camden Yards, and Pete Rose and other Reflections on baseball. Scribner. New York. page 279.

For the complete story of Curt Flood’s life and fight against the reserve see Brad Snyder’s A Well Paid Slave: Curt Flood’s fight for free agency in Professional Sports.

Video Picks: Shaq-Kobe Feud, Beckham, Tyson Homosexual…er, Gay

Man, this Kobe-Shaq feud is getting out of hand. Now, even the youth of America are jumping on the “Diss Kobe” bandwagon, as shown by this example of excellent parenting (credit goes to You Been Blinded for the vid):

Look what you’ve done, Shaq. The “tell me how my ass tastes” diss is catching on among the younguns…it could become the new “yo mamma” in schoolyards across America. We hope you’re just pleased as punch with yourself.

Elsewhere, soccer fans may have been focusing their attention on the Euro 2008 tournament, but there was a notable happening in the MLS over the weekend. And by “notable,” I mean painful. And by “painful,” I mean that a dude got hit in the privates by a David Beckham kick.

Yikes. I think most of us already suspected that taking a Beckham kick to the man region would be painful, but I did gain some insight from the video: Who knew that pouring water down your pants helped ease the pain of a shot to the nuts?

Finally, if you haven’t seen video of this Tyson Gay fella, take a look below; he ran a wind-aided 100 meters in 9.68 seconds, the fastest time a human has ran that distance.

The funny part of all this: Outsports reports that an online news website operated by the anti-gay American Family Association mistakenly referred to the sprinter as “Tyson Homosexual” in their news article on the race; as it turns out, the website has a filter that changes the word “gay” to “homosexual,” without any sort of regard for context. Whoops! Best of luck to Homosexual at the Beijing Olympics.

Danica’s “Killer Aggression” and angry Helio Castroneves

Riding home last night from Richmond International Raceway (RIR) where we had just witnessed our first Indy Car race, the Suntrust Indy Challenge 300, the subject of Danica came up. Like other celebrities who have been branded with single moniker: Cher, Oprah, Kobe, and Hillary; Danica too has achieved single name recognition. To be honest had Danica not been at the race I doubt very much that we would have braved the evening heat or the deafening roar of the Indy race cars. History was made Saturday night when for the first time at Richmond International Raceway, twenty seven Indy cars participated in the race. Now I am no race guy, so for real IRL news see MVN’s own Christopher Estrada, but Indy Racing may just be the first sport in history to where a woman competes and succeeds on the same playing field as men.

Vitor Meira, of Panther Racing, and Danica, of Andretti Green Racing, met with fans before the race on Saturday afternoon. For me, very new to IRL, it opened my eyes to what a role model Danica has become. A young girl about tens years old was having trouble getting through the crowd to see Danica. When she finally made her way through the crowd she asked the race star; “Danica, have you ever won a race?” Some what surprised Patrick stated that she had, not only at the IRL level but at other levels of racing. When was the last time young girls and young women had a sports role model who was not only competing with men on the same level but winning. After her sixth place finish on Saturday night she has now finished in the top ten in eight IRL races this year. No other woman in sports has accomplished what Danica Patrick has done. Two things that I notice about this racing star is first her look. She knows how to get attention with her hair and clothes, see the shorts she was wearing when she met with fans Saturday. Even more obvious than her look is her burning desire to win.

Both Meira and Danica spoke of the challenge that the track presented with its tight turns and how often the cars would slide given the conditions. Danica was frustrated with the time trials on Friday and shared her car was not performing well. To overcome this situation she stated, “I am just going to use my killer aggression.” Danica was turning to her competitive fury in order to succeed in-spite of her cars performance. This drive to win reminds me of competitors like Michael Jordan or Mario Lemieux. When a fan asked if she might move to Formula One racing she said, “I like the United States, I know the language, I can get breakfast food here. I never say never, if the right racing team gives me better opportunity to win, then I am not going to pass that up.” For now it appears as if Danica will not jump from IRL to Formula One.

Saturday night the Suntrust Indy Challenge proved a be just that, a challenge, with multiple cautions caused by the many crashes; fortunately no drivers were seriously hurt. It is amusing for me a fan new to Indy Car Racing, to see the wrecked Indy cars placed in what appeared to me to be body bags, so as to enable the tow trucks to remove all the pieces of the car from the track. Tony Kanaan led much of the race and in the end his car was just to fast to beat as he cruised to victory. Helio Catroneves finished in second place. Toward the end of the race as Helio was attempting to pass Danica, but was cut off, he shouted over his radio to his handlers, “That bitch cut me off.” Helio, last time I checked Indy Car was not Dancing with Stars, in racing even a novice like myself knows that other drivers will cut you off. I wonder if Helio barked the same expletive at the male drivers who have cut him off on other IRL tracks?

In spite of a car that was just not performing Danica finished in the top ten. A number of drivers struggled with the short track and the driving conditions. In spite of this through effective pit strategy and a driving determination not to be passed Danica survived and finished in the top ten. She now sits at number five in Indy Car points standings. For this novice to IRL, I guarantee this season will be interesting - don’t forget your ear plugs.

Danica Patrick: Skilled Driver, Pin-up Girl or both?

Conversation overhead yesterday while standing in the Danica Patrick line at the SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway driver autograph session:

Scene: 3 middle aged men, one wearing a Notre Dame baseball cap, all wearing wedding rings. We have been waiting in line for 1 1/2 hours for 30 seconds of interaction with Danica Patrick.

Man 1: So, I’ll walk up and get really close to her and then you, Jay, take our picture together.

Man 2: Okay, then I’ll go in and you, Clay, take the camera and take our picture together. Then you, Chris, can walk up and get your stuff signed and I’ll take your picture. Hey Chris, what are you going to get signed?

Man 3: I don’t know. I hadn’t thought about that. I just wanted to get close to her. Jay, which page of the Sports Illustrated are you going to have her sign?

Man 1: I’d really like to have the picture of her in the bikini . . . . (all giggle) but she’s so busy, I think I’ll just have her sign the cover.

Fans are crazy about Danica Patrick, her autograph line was five times the lenght of any other IRL driver yesterday; with the exception of Helio Castroneves - Team Penske, her line was only double the length of his. As demonstrated in Richmond yesterday and by the 60,000 tickets sold for tonight’s race, the marketing jugernaut Danica, has become the face of Indy Racing. What I find fascinating about Danica Patrick is the fact that she is a very competitive and skilled racer in her own right. Yet most likely it is her look that has made her the name in Indy Car Racing now.

My sense is that Patrick would want young women or girls to look up to her because she is a great racer. She is a very skilled racer, still relatively new to the IRL circuit and improving with each race. You could see last night how frustrated she was with her fourteenth place finish in the Suntrust Time Trials. In the post run interviews she growled, “Something was loose in the car.” No doubt about it Patrick is a competitor who wants to finish first. It may be her driving skill combined with her look that has enabled her to win the backing of Andretti Green Racing; a team with the resources to put her in a position to enter and compete at the highest level. Other drivers like Sarah Fisher may have had the skill but without the look or being unwilling to sell their look have not gone as far as Danica Patrick in Indy Car Racing.

I believe it is her competitive drive and focus that will continue to keep her on top of Indy Car Racing; she is as fierce a competitor as I have seen live in sports. Tonight Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon, and the rest of the boys need to bring their game look to the Richmond International Raceway; get ready for some noise tonight!